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He filled out his profiles to show that he was a Kiwi learning Mandarin and was keen to practice what little he knew.

"What always used to strike me is I live in central Auckland and you can walk down any street and see a whole bunch of Chinese people. But it was not socially acceptable to go up to a stranger and say, 'Ni hao' [hello]. But online that was kind of acceptable."

Mr Young was running SyEngage, a consultancy that helps New Zealand companies develop their brands online, and it now has a strong China focus. He ended up hiring employees who he had met over Chinese social media.

Pat English from the NZ China Council said more businesses had a need for Mandarin speakers, and the number of people who could do so was still too small in relation to the size of the trade relationship.

Numbers for Onehunga High School Adult Learning Centre's Chinese language classes have grown by almost 70 per cent. Director Linda Melrose said they had added Chinese business etiquette this year because of growing demand.